THE City of Mandurah continues to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year cleaning graffiti and repairing vandalised property, with council statistics showing $250,000 was spent last financial year.
In the last six months alone the council has spent $120,000 removing graffiti from buildings and other structures and repairing parks and reserves.
City of Mandurah Mayor Paddi Creevey said the figures represented a very significant amount of money and were far too high.
She said the cost of vandalism and graffiti was both a financial and social burden.
“Everyone in the community pays financially for this but the social cost is just as great because people feel put off by some areas that are covered in graffiti and vandalised,” Ms Creevey said.
“This is a matter that we are taking very seriously.”
Ms Creevey said the council was working on new strategies with local police to clamp down on graffiti such as sourcing out hot spots around town prone to vandalism.
“We must treat graffiti and vandalism as a serious criminal offence, we must emphasise also that the public must report any such incidents immediately,” she said.
Rewards were still being offered by the council to members of the public who provide information leading to the conviction of graffiti vandals, Ms Creevey said.
Reports of graffiti or vandalism to council property, bus shelters and reserves can be made by calling 9550 3777.
Members of the public can report graffiti on private dwellings to local police on 9581 0222.